Expandable mandrel for mounting armor rod tools



April 28, 1959 H. c. ENDERs 2,883,821

EXPANDABLE MANDREL FOR MOUNTING ARMOR ROD TOOLS Filed July l, 1955United States Patent EXPANDABLE MANDREL FOR MOUNTING ARMOR ROD TOOLSHarter C. Enders, Wabeno, Wis., assignor of one-half to Angus H. Beaton,Oconto, Wisconsin Application July 1, 1955, Serial No. 519,330

3 Claims. (Cl. 57-10) This invention relates generally to tools forapplying armor rods to energized conductors, and more particularly to anexpandable mandrel or mounting tool accessory thereto, for temporarilyuniting pairs of armor tools in rigid assembly for convenience ininitially placing a pair of loaded armor rod tools on a conductor to bearmored.

The purpose of this invention is to eliminate the tool instability andunsteadiness attending the initial placing and mounting of the pairedarmor rod tools on a conductor; and to contribute to electrical safety.

In the usual process of mounting loaded armor rod tools on a conductor,the tools and rods become longitudinally displaced and disarranged,relative to each other, resulting from the efforts to place the loadedarmor tools on a conductor, and from the clamp stick manipulation todraw the two tool frame halves against each other.

This invention prevents the suitably spaced tools and prearranged rodsfrom sliding out of predetermined assembly while the loaded tools arelifted and mounted on the energized conductor.

An object of this invention is the provision of an accessory tool forplacing paired armor rod tools on an energized conductor.

Another object is to provide means for releasably uniting spaced armorrod tools.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of expandablemeans for releasably uniting spaced armor rod tools.

Still another object is to provide expandable mandrel means forreleasably uniting spaced armor rod tools.

Another object is to provide means for lifting and placing loaded armorrod tools on an energized conductor, controllable by a single man,thereby enhancing safety and eiciency.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a balancedexpandable mandrel construction having centrally located actuating meansexternally actuable.

Other specific objects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which likereference numerals designate like parts throughout the gures thereof andwherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a pair of conventional armor rodtools, mounted on an expandable mandrel which forms the gist of thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the expandable mandrel, per se, shownin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation view of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a sideelevation of the eye bolt, per se, shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference charactersdesignate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,there is shown in Fig. 1 an associated pair of conventional armor rodwrapping tools, shown in dotted lines, consisting of hingedcomplementary half frames 11, and 12--13, having a centrally 2,883,821Patented Apr. 28, 1959.

ICC

disposed conductor receiving opening, surrounded by a plurality of armorrod receiving openings in circumfer-` ential spaced relation.

Some means are usually provided on said frames for convenientlyeffecting a rotation of the frames. Such means usually project from saidframes and are adapted to be engaged by an insulateddisconnect stick forholding the frame in a fixed position or for rotating the frame to windarmor rods on an energized conductor, said latter means comprising oneor more radially projecting arms each provided with a stick receivingeye 14 in its end portion.

Said eye openings 14 can also serve as receiving means for an expandablemandrel or mounting tool which when inserted forcibly in an eye openingwill support the armor rod tools thereon while said armor rod tools arebeing placed on the conductor to be armored. It is this expandablemandrel which forms the present invention.

The body of the expandable mandrel comprises a tubular element dividedlongitudinally into two half segments 15 and 16, oppositely disposed andconfronting each other. These segments are provided with reduceddiameter end portions, 17--18, and 19--21, to be loosely received in eyeopenings 14. The shoulders 22-23 and 24-25, resulting from the diameterreduction, function as spacing abutments to suitably space the armor rodtools on the expandable mandrel.

The upper segment 15 is provided with a centrally located nut 26 weldedon the outer periphery, and aligned with a similarly threaded bore 27through the segment wall, to receive threaded eye bolt 28.

The lower segment 16 is provided with a centrally located deck plate 29welded horizontally across the concave wall thereof. Said deck plate iscentrally apertured, and aligned with the threaded bores of nut 26 andvupper segment wall bore 27, to receive the reduced diameter end portion31 of the eye bolt 28. The shoulder resulting from said diameterreduction is juxtaposed against the deck plate and the protrudingreduced diameter portion is peened at 32, thereby forming a swivelconnection between the end of the eye bolt and the fixed deck plate.

Operation: The procedure for applying the expandable mandrel tool to apair of associated armor rod tools, follows.

The segments 15 and 16 are oppositely disposed relatively parallel, andthe eye bolt turned until the segments are brought into close contactwith each other, thereby forming a closed tubular member.

The reduced diameter portion 17-18 is then inserted in an eye 14 of aconventional armor rod tool.

The other reduced diameter portion 19-21 is then inserted in an eye 14of an associated armor rod tool similarly oriented.

With the associated armor rod tools thus mounted on the mandrelsegments, the eye bolt 28 is turned so as to separate the segments andexpand the mandrel forcibly against the inner periphery of the eyeopenings, thereby uniting the paired armor rod tools in rigid assembly.

The rigid assembly can now be loaded with armor rods.

The loaded unitary assembly is now mounted on a standard clamp stick,the clamp stick engaging the eye 33 of the eye bolt 28.

The clamp stick is a common tool in a linemans kit. The clamp sticks inquestion are preferably of the type having a long pole of wood or otherinsulating material for mounting a clamp stick head. The eye 33 is drawninto and xedly secured in the clamp stick head and supported thereby.

The unit thus supported is lifted by the clamp stick and applied to theenergized conductor.

While the unit is thus rigidly held in place on the conductor to bearmored, a second clamp stick engages eye bolt 34 on the armor rodtools, thereby driving the two complementary frame halves against eachother to close the frames around the conductor.

With the paired armor rod tools firmly mounted on the conductor, themandrel may be removed from the paired armor rod tools by rotating theeye bolt, by means of the clamp stick, so as to draw the mandrelsegments together, thereby collapsing the mandrel. In its collapsedcondition the mandrel ends can be easily removed from the armor rod tooleyes 14.

Thereupon one operator may take a disconnect stick, a common tool in alinemans kit, and engage it in an eye 14 in one of the arms of oneframe, to hold that tool in fixed position. The other operator may thenengage his stick in an eye 14 in the other associated frame or tool, andmay push or pull as the case may be to rotate said other frame and twistthe armor rod about the energized conductor.

The frames are alternately held and rotated until the frames progress tothe ends of the armor rods, which have been tightly wrapped and Woundaround the conductor.

The frames are then removed by means of a clamp stick applied to eyebolts 34, operative to open the frames, and allow them to be lifted fromthe conductor.

It will be thus observed that the present invention comprises anexpandable mandrel adapted for use in combination with conventionalarmor rod tools.

The characteristic features of this invention are the combination of anexpandable mandrel with a pair of associated armor rod tools mountedthereon; an expandable mandrel having centrally located expanding means;an expandable mandrel having reduced diameter end portions; and abalanced expandable mandrel design adapted for use with a pair ofassociated armor rod tools.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood, that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. An expandable mandrel, comprising: a pair of substantially similarelongated members oppositely and parallelly related; and a boltsubstantially normally related thereto, threadedly engaged through oneof said members and swivelly engaged with the other of said members,said elongated members having reduced end portions to provide abutmentshoulders.

2. An expandable mandrel, comprising: a pair of substantially similarelongated members oppositely and parallelly related, the outer surfacesof the end portions of said members being curved; anda bolt normallyrelated to said members, threadedly engaged through one of said membersintermediate the endsA thereof and swivelly engaged with the other ofsaid members, said elongated members having reduced end portions,conforming substantially to the curvature of said outer surfaces, toprovide abutment shoulders.

3. An expandable mandrel, comprising: a pair of elongated similarsubstantially semi-cylindrical segments oppositely and parallellyrelated; and an eye bolt normally related to said segments, threadedlyengaged substantially through the center of one of said segments andswivelly engaged with the other of said segments, and similar reduceddiameter end portions on said semi-cylindrical segments providingabutment shoulders substantially equally spaced from the ends of saidsegments, respectively.

lReferences Cited in thetile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,043,146 Schiess Nov. 5, 1912 1,217,465 Lewis Feb. 27, 1917 1,501,889Mick July 15, 1,924 1,588,810 Rudolph et al June 15, 1926 2,240,125Strube Apr. 29, 1941 2,414,136 Bodendick Jan. 14, 1947

